Jackson apologises for baby stunt

Michael Jackson has apologised after dangling his youngest child over a fourth-floor balcony of his Berlin hotel.

“I made a terrible mistake,” he said. “I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children.”

The boy, his legs kicking, had a white cloth over his head as Jackson, holding the child with one arm around his waist, held him out over the iron rail of the balcony of the luxurious Adlon Hotel on Tuesday.

The child, wearing a baby blue jumper, is the reclusive singer’s third and youngest and is called Prince Michael II, said Antje Sigesmund, a spokeswoman for the Bambi entertainment awards ceremony, which Jackson is attending in Berlin.

The act stunned people who saw it transmitted on television, and last night Jackson issued a written statement saying he got carried away when fans below the window asked to see the baby.

Several scenes of Jackson’s visit to the German capital – including the display of his son – were featured on national primetime German news, a sign of the King of Pop’s enduring popularity in Europe.

But the Chicago-based advocacy group Prevent Child Abuse America criticised Jackson’s behaviour.

“It is a painful reminder that even the most well-intentioned among us sometimes act in ways that put children in danger of being abused or neglected,” said the group’s president A. Sidney Johnson.

Fans had gathered outside the hotel, just opposite Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate, and security had to remove some from the lobby. Several carried banners, including one that said “Save the Kids,” with drawings of children’s faces, a reference to Jackson’s philanthropy.

Another said “Really good to see you.”

Jackson, wearing a bright red shirt, smiled and waved to the fans, then tossed a small white towel to the crowd below. The singer then went inside and retrieved the toddler, using one arm to hold the boy, who kicked his legs, out over the balcony rail.

Fans cheered as the pop star appeared with the child, but Jackson quickly retreated into his hotel room without making any statement.

Little is known about Prince Michael II. People Magazine reported in August that he was six months old. The magazine, citing an anonymous friend, said the boy was not adopted and did not identify the mother.

The singer also has two children with ex-wife Debbie Rowe: a five-year-old boy - also named Prince Michael – and a four-year-old girl, Paris. The couple divorced in 1999.

In Berlin, Jackson was taking a break from a California courtroom where he testified last week in a $21m (€20.9m) lawsuit claiming he backed out of concerts.